Towel-rack.



c. wi. ROSKOPH.

TOWEL HACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4. 191B.

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CLARENCE 1u. nosiiorn, or CLEVELAND, onto.

Tower-nnen.

To all 1,071,072?.` t may concern.' f i lBe it known that I, CLARENCE M. Ros- Korn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of `Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State ofUhio, have invented anew and useful .improvement in Towel-Racks, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle, soas to distinguish it from otherinventions.

The presentinvention relates to stands and racks for holding towels and the like and provides means for locking the towels on the raclrmso that while the entire bunch may be changed at once, the individual towels are held firmly against removal. Tt also provides means for maintaining the i clean towels easily available and for separating the used from the clean towels. Simple locking means areemployed and the locking means on the rack or holder are so arranged that it secures the towels firmly in place and prevents the springing open of the rods to remove the individual towels. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists ofthe means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out `in the claims.

The annexed drawing and the following description set forth in detail certain mechanism embodying the invention, such dis-` closed means constituting,however, but one of various mechanical forms in which`the principle of the invention may be used.

Tn said annexed drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of my `improved stand showing a rack of towels in place; Fig. 2 is a front elevation Of upper part of stand with rack in place without towels; Fig. 3 is an end elevation taken from left of Fig. 2; Fi g. l is a section on the lines 4 4, Figs. 2 and 5; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6 6 Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a modiied form of towel rack lock.

My improved towel holder consists of a stand having base members 1 connected by braces 2 with apertures 3 through which screws or other fastening means (not shown) may be inserted to secure the stand to the floor. The base members are attached to uprights l and have their ends 5 rebent to contact and engage with such uprights. Near the upper ends of the uprights and Speccation of Letters Patent.

between the same a plate 6 of sheet metal or the like is mounted.

One of the uprights is provided with an aperture Z while the other has a slot 8 adapted to receive one end of the raclr. A pivotally mounted locking plate 9 is attached to the upright and is Vprovided with slot 10` adapted to be alined with the slot 8. This plate 9 has an apertured ear 11 at its upper end which is adapted to contact with one side of the upright which has a complementary alined aperture 12. A padlock 13 or other locking means is passed through such aperture to lock the rack securely in place in the stand.

The holder or rack for the towels consistsl of two end plates 15 and 16 connected by two rods 17 which are firmly secured therein. The end plate 15 has an aperture 18 adapted to receive a removable rod 19 which is used to loch the towels 20 in position. This rod is adapted to be received in a slot 21 in the plate 16 and this plate has an ear 22 having` an aperture 23, the ear being preferably at right angles to the plate and formed integrally therewith.

The locking means consist of a bent strap or plate 24 provided with two apertures 25 and 26, one of such apertures 25 being adapted to receive the end of the rod 19 and the other to be alined with the aperture 23 in the ear 22. The strap is of sufficient length to put over the rod and the ear 22 and securely lock the rod in place in the slot 21. A. padlock or other locking means can be inserted through the apertures to secure the raclr together.

The rod 19 has its two ends odset and the length of these oitset portions 30 will vary with the number of towels to be held in the raclr. There will usually be 50 towels to the rack which will supply 1GO persons, as` the towels are held at `the middle so that each towel provides two towels on the rack. The raclr may of course be made to hold any number, such as 25 or 100 full length towels depending upon the place where they are used and the requirements.

Tn holding the towels in place it has been found that by using two spaced rods 17 and one movable rod 19, the towels are forced be tween the rods 17 and held more firmly than where only two bars or rods are used.

Tn Fig. 7 a modified form of rack is shown with locking mechanism similar to that used on the stand. The end plate 35 is provided Patented dan.. 1d, 1919.-

Application filed. May 4, 1919. Serial No. 232,443. i

with a slot 36 to receive the end of the rod 19 and a pivotally mounted latch 37 is attached to the plate by means of a bolt or rivet 38. This plate has a centrally located notch 39 adapted to fit over the rod 19 and two other notches 40 to ft over the rods 17. The latch has an ear il which is adapted to be alined in its closed position with an ear l2 on the plate. These two ears are apertured to receive a padlock to secure the rack together. l

On vone of the uprights a lug 31 is mount- 'ed which is adapted to be cont-acted by the end plate 15 to prevent the rack from rotating in the stand. By use of this, the towels are kept in the same position and, as shown in Fig. 1, the clean towels will be the ones extending over the rack. When a towel 1s used, it will be pulled into position and when through the user merely drops the towel which will then drop in front of the plate 6.

The present holder and stand are easy to install and satisfactory to use, besides olering several other advantages. The racks holding the towels are delivered to the user and he does not open them but substitutes a clean rack for the used one, as necessary. Full size towels may be used and thus each towel is used twice or furnishes twotowels on the rack. This produces a saving in the laundry in handling and eounti ng over twice .the number of small towels.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provvided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means may be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention 1. In a towel holder the combination of end plates, two spaced rods connecting said plates, one of said plates having an aperture, the other having an aperture and a slot, a removable rod adapted to be mounted in such aperture in the first plate and such slot in said second plate, a locking member adapted to secure said removable rod in such slot in said plate and having an aperture alined with such aperture in said slotted plate, and locking means passing through such alined apertures.

2. In a towel holder the combination of end plates, two-spaced rods connecting said plates, one of said plates having an aperture,

the other having an aperture and a slot, a removable rod adapted to be mounted in such aperture in the lirst plate and such slot in said second plate, a locking member adapted to fit over the extending end of said removable rod and secure the same in said slotted plate, said member having an aperture adapted vto be alined with such aperture in said slotted plate, and locking means passing through such alined apertures.

3. In a towel holder the combination o'l end plates, two spaced rods connecting said plates, one of said plates having an aperture, the other having a slot therein, and provided with an apertured ear at right angles to the plane of the plate, a removable rod adapted to be received in such aperture and slot in said two plates to clamp the towels against said rods, a locking member adapted to iit over the extending end of said removable rod and having a bent apertured portion adapted to contact with such apertured ear to lock said rod in said plate, and loclnntr means passing through such apertures to secure said locking member to said plate.

4. In a towel holder the combination ot end plates, two spaced rods connecting said plates, one of said plates having an aperture, the other having a slot therein, and provided with an apertured ear at right angles to the plane of the plate, a removable rod having` offset end portions adapted to be received in such aperture and slot in said two plates to clamp the towels against said spaced rods, a locking member adapted to tit over the tending end of said removable rod and hav ing` a bent apertured portion adapted to contact with such apertured ear to lock said rod in said plate, and locking means passing through such apertures to secure said locking member to said plate.

5. In a towel rack, the combination of a stand having two upright members, one apertured and the other provided with a slot, a holder consisting of two end plates, two spaced rods rigidly connecting said plates. one plate apertured and the other having a slot, a removable rod adapted to be received in such aperture and said slot and extending therebeyond, means for locking said rod iii such slot in said plate, said extending ends of said rod being adapted to be received in such aperture and such slot in said iun'ightl and means for locking such holder sel-urehtherein.

Signed by me, this 1st day of May, 1915i.

CLARENCE M. ROSKOPH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

